Magic's Promise
by theshadowcat
Summary: Maggie's back! What is the power of a promise? The fifth in the 'Magic' series. Rated M for some serious lemoniness. Please R&R. Complete!
1. New Year's Eve

**Author's note: **This story takes place after "Surprise", but it is not necessary to read that story before this one. However, it is rather important to read "Magic" and "The Magic Returns" to understand what's going on.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Hellboy and Company. No suing, ok?

It's about a quarter to 12 and it's New Year's Eve. I'm standing in the dark family room looking through the large plate glass window, spinning my ring around my finger. I can hear Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve in the background. I'm looking over the lake, and the moon is playing peek-a-boo behind the clouds. Those clouds dropped a couple of inches of snow on the ground earlier this evening so everything is glowing a blue-white color whenever the moon manages to emerge. The view is stunning, and I wish I had someone to share this with. Technically, I do have someone, but he's been gone since Christmas. So, I stand here alone, wishing he was here and trying to avoid sleep.

During the day it's not so bad. I can keep myself busy and try to ignore the ache I feel when he's gone. But night is a different story. At night I have nothing to truly distract me from the emptiness. And sleep is even worse. When I sleep he comes to me in my dreams and does things that make me want him even more. So, now I stand here looking at a magical view waiting for Dick Clark to announce the New Year with no one to share it with.

"It's beautiful."

I jump and then turn around. My heart has just taken off for the moon.

"But not as beautiful as you."

There he is, standing in the darkened room. The moon comes out and floods the room with its light. It makes it look like he's glowing. This has got to be a dream.

"I'm no dream," he says as he takes off a glove, drops it, and steps forward. He touches my cheek.

"AAHHH! Your hand is like ice," I yell in surprise, jumping back. "What have you been doing? How did you get here? For that matter, how did you get in here?"

"I walked," he answers. "The kitchen door was unlocked."

"You walked?" I ask in bewilderment. "Manning just let you walk here?"

"Well, no," he replies. "Manning doesn't know I'm here."

"They just let you walk out?" I ask suspiciously.

"No," he says.

"Then how did you get out?"

"Hellboy," he says simply waving an extremely graceful hand. "Aren't you going to kiss me hello?"

"Not until you defrost a little," I retort.

"I can think of a way to warm up," he says.

"Not on my body, you're not. Shower," I order. I grab his upper arm, turn him around and start pushing him toward the bathroom. I notice that there's snow on his shoulders. "Did you walk the whole 15 miles?"

"Yes," he answers as I get him into the bathroom. Shaking my head, I push him toward the shower.

"I'll go make you something warm to drink," I tell him. "Do you have a preference?"

"Hot chocolate?" he asks.

"Fine," I say. "You take your shower and I'll get the hot chocolate."

I turn and leave. My cheek is still cold from where he touched it. I head for the kitchen and start to make the hot chocolate. I can hear the shower going. Several minutes later, the hot chocolate is ready and I can still hear the water running. I pick up Abe's cup and take it into the bathroom. I notice that he's stripped off everything, including his shorts. I walk past the shower, not daring to look in, and put the cup on the counter. As I walk back past the shower, I hear it open and a second later he's dragging me in by the arm.

"AAAHHHH! Abe, I'm getting wet!" I yell at him.

"Yes, so?" he replies with a smile on his face.

"I'm still wearing my clothes," I point out.

"Somehow," he says as he lowers his face to mine, "I'm not seeing this as a problem."

He kisses me and anything I was about to say simply disappears. The feeling of his warm wet skin under my hands is enough to make me forget my own name. He gets my shirt off fairly easily, but wet jeans tend to stick like glue. He kneels down and peels them off of me. After they're gone, all that's left are my bra and panties. He stays on his knees and starts exploring me with his mouth. I can barely breathe, and I definitely can't think straight. He starts exploring with his fingers under the panties as his mouth finds the clasp to my bra. He's driving me crazy and darn it all if I'm not going to give as good as I get. I reach down and gently stroke his gills. Before I can blink the undergarments are gone and he's standing up, taking me up into his arms. He pushes me against the wall and starts passionately kissing me. The wall is cold and I don't care. My feet are no longer touching the floor; so I wrap my legs around him. I think I hear something.

"Did you hear something?" I ask, panting, as he works on my ear and neck.

"No," he answers. "And neither did you."

"Oh, ok."

He starts kissing my mouth again to stop any further conversation. He slowly starts lowering me. I know it's very close. I can feel it. I tremble with anticipation.

"Hey, Abe you in…Yeow," says Hellboy. I hear the bathroom door shut, and I can hear Hellboy talking to someone outside. "He's not in there."

Abe lowers me to the floor and I can feel tears of frustration forming in my eyes. I desperately hold him as emotions and hormones course through my body.

"What do you mean he's not in there?" I hear Manning respond. "I can hear the shower going."

"Oh, the shower, yeah, right," Hellboy answers, stalling Manning. "Well, let's just say I've seen enough to make Liz want to wash my eyes out with soap."

Abe just holds me until I stop shaking. The argument in the hallway rages on.

"Out of my way, Hellboy," Manning orders.

"I don't think that's a good idea," says Hellboy.

"I know he's in there," Manning says hotly.

"How do you know he's even here?" Hellboy asks.

"Well, for one, where else would he be?" replies Manning. "Second, I saw his footsteps leading right up to the door. And thirdly, I just found his glove in the family room. We've searched the rest of the house and there's no other sign of him. So he has to be in there."

I've finally stopped shaking. I sigh and step out of the shower. Abe turns off the water, and follows me out. I dry off, put my hair up into a towel, and put on the robe that's hanging on the back of the door. I've never been so glad to keep a guest robe here. I step out of the bathroom, push past Hellboy who's blocking the door, and shut the door behind me.

"I suppose you have a reason for trespassing on my property, Dr. Manning?" I ask coldly.

"I'm looking for Abe," he answers. "And don't deny that he's here. I have evidence."

He waves the glove in my face. I snatch it out of his hand.

"At what point did I deny that he's here?" I demand.

"Well, you haven't actually," he stammers.

"You haven't answered my question, Dr. Manning," I say. "Is there a reason for you trespassing?"

"Yes there is," he replies. "We need Abe for a mission."

"Another mission?" I ask in frustration. Considering what I almost had, I'm not looking forward to any more dreams. "You just came back from a mission. Doesn't he ever get a break?"

"Well, normally yes he would, but paranormal activity seems to be increasing," he answers. "Now where is he?"

"Here," says Abe as he opens the door. His skin is still shiny from the water. I hand him his glove.

Hellboy steps out of the way of the door. The hallway was never designed to hold this many people in one spot. And with Hellboy here, it's getting claustrophobic. Manning looks at Abe and then looks at me. Comprehension starts to dawn across his face. He starts to flush as he figures out why Abe and I are a bit damp.

"Ah, yes, well, good," he stammers again. He hands Abe a manila folder. "Here, read this."

"Might I suggest that we move this little meeting out to the family room," I say, waving my hand toward the end of the hall.

Manning nods turns and walks away. Soon we're in the family room, Dick Clark announced the New Year some time ago, so the TV's been turned off. There are several more agents wandering around including John and Liz. John seems a bit startled that I'm only wearing a robe and a towel. Liz smiles knowingly. Abe sits in one of the chairs and opens the folder. I go over and glance at the report he's reading. The photograph that's in the folder catches my attention.

"May I see the picture, please?" I ask as I hold my hand toward Abe.

Without looking up, he hands it to me. I take a good look at it and my blood runs cold. The picture is a bit out of focus, but the creatures in it are still discernable enough to recognize.

"Has Guillermo seen this picture?" I ask Manning.

"No, he hasn't," he answers.

"Why hasn't he?"

"He's in Mexico visiting family right now," Manning replies. I had forgotten about his trip.

"Where was this picture taken?" I ask as I hand him the photograph.

"Death Valley," he answers.

"Give me fifteen minutes," I tell him as I turn and start to head upstairs. "I'll be ready to go by then."

"Excuse me?" Manning calls after me. "I don't recall asking for your assistance on this case."

"You don't have choice," I respond, looking back at him. "You need an Earth Mage to handle this case, and I'm the only one available."

I turn and continue to head upstairs before Manning can come up with any more objections. True to my word, I'm dressed and packed in fifteen minutes. I quickly fire off an email to Helen telling her that I'll be gone for an indeterminate amount of time and if she'd please feed Wizard. After I turn off the computer, I turn and look at Manning.

"Ok, I'm ready to go," I tell him. He doesn't look very happy, but he just nods and we head out. When we get outside, I notice that the vehicles are parked on the street. I also notice that the footsteps in the snow lead from the gate, and the gate has been bent out of shape. I turn and glare at Hellboy.

"Hey, you're the one who didn't answer the buzzer," he says as he shrugs. So that was the noise I didn't hear.

After we're through the gate, he tries to push it back in place, but the damage is still obvious. I just snort my disgust with twin jets of breath billowing around me. I just look at the gate and reshape the metal back the way it's supposed to be. After I'm done, I feel a little light headed. Abe puts his arm around me and then leads me to the cab of the garbage truck.

I climb in and a few minutes later we're on the road. About half an hour later, we arrive at the airport and pull up to a gate that leads to a restricted area. After we're through the gate, we drive onto the tarmac and up to a cargo plane. On the side of the plane is panted a hand holding a sword handle. The garbage truck is backed up to the open ramp of the plane, and there's a lot of activity from the agents making sure the area is secure. Which seems kind of silly since the airport is closed and there's no one here. I get out and wait at the base of the ramp. A short time later, the back of the truck is opened and Hellboy and Abe exit. I look at Abe in amazement. He's wearing what he normally wears, and yet I'm standing here dressed like an Inuit. We walk up the ramp together.

"Doesn't the cold bother you?" I ask him.

"Not really," he answers.

A moment later we're in the plane and seated on a bench next to the bulkhead toward the back of the plane. Within fifteen minutes we're taking off for California. After we reach cruising altitude, Manning gets up and walks over to me. He drops the manila folder in my lap.

"All right," he says. "Please, explain to me why we need you along when you haven't even read the report on these monsters."

"They aren't monsters, Dr. Manning," I explain as I pull the picture from the folder. "They're Earth Wyrms."

"Excuse me?" asks Hellboy. "These aren't like any worms I've ever seen."

"And that's the way it should be," I say. "By the way, these Wyrms are spelled with a 'y', not an 'o'. They are magical creatures that live under the most fertile areas of the world. Typically, they stay underground except to mate."

"So this is some sort of mating ritual that's going on?" Manning asks. I shake my head.

"It can't be," I answer. "They only mate during mid summer, not winter. And even if you did see them, there would only be a few at a time. There's at least twenty in this photo. There's something wrong. We need to find out what it is and try and fix it."

"I know how to fix it," says Hellboy as he pats the Samaritan.

"You try that, and I'll tie your tail in a knot," I warn him. "Wyrms are actually a very important part of the ecosystems they live in. Like a regular worm, they keep the soil aerated and they help break down the leaf litter on the forest floor. They usually live under rain forests, but because humans have been destroying the forests so quickly, the Wyrms numbers have been dropping."

"If they live under rain forests, what are they doing in Death Valley?" asks John.

"Good question," I answer. "I haven't a clue. We'll just have to wait until we get there to find out."

I let out a sudden yawn that catches even me by surprise. I stretch and stand up.

"I'm sorry, but it's very late and I am extremely tired," I say. "Is there somewhere I can get some sleep?"

"I'll show you," says Liz as she stands and heads toward the cockpit. Right before we reach the cockpit, we come to an area that has beds bolted to the wall. Currently, they're folded up against the wall to make more room. Liz shows me how to lower one and lock it into place. I thank her, crawl onto the narrow cot, and promptly fall into a deep, restful sleep.


	2. Tangle

**Author's note**: For those of you who are not familiar with Death Valley, it is located in Southern California. At 282 feet below sea level, this desert is the second lowest area in the world that isn't covered by water. To learn more, go to my author's page and follow the link I've posted there.

I'm awakened by someone kissing my cheek.

"It's time to get up, my love," he whispers into my ear.

Still half asleep, I roll toward him and fall out of the cot. Now I'm really awake. Abe is kneeling next to the cot that I was sleeping on. I'm now in his arms and he's laughing. Feeling silly, I start laughing too.

"That was pretty swift of me, wasn't it?" I ask, laughing.

"Very," he answers.

Then he leans down and kisses me. The feeling of silliness disappears and is replaced by an aching need. I wrap my arms around him and hold him closer. He starts running his fingers through my hair. I can hear movement near by, but I ignore it.

"Geez, you two. Why don't you get a room?" grumbles Hellboy.

I stop kissing Abe and look across the way at Hellboy. He's lying on a mat on the floor, staring at us. Liz is lying on one of the cots just above him. She's starting to stir.

"We tried that," I tell him. "You walked in on us."

With some satisfaction, I notice that he seems to turn a darker shade of red. He's also now looking any where but at us. Luckily for him, John picks that exact moment to walk in with a tray of coffee and bagels. He's also carrying a bowl of something, but I can't see what it is from down on the floor.

"Good morning," he says cheerfully. "I brought breakfast."

"Wonder…ug," I manage. The smell of sulfur is overpowering and I put my hand over my mouth and nose. I see Liz shoot out of her cot and head for the nearest lavatory. Then I hear her losing it just after she manages to shut the door.

"Geez, Myers," Hellboy yells. "You know that Liz is pregnant! What are you doing bringing those things in here?"

"What is it?" I ask from behind my hand.

"Rotten eggs," growls Hellboy.

"What in the world are you doing with rotten eggs?" I ask John.

"They're my breakfast," Abe says quietly.

I turn and stare at him. He starts turning a darker shade of blue. He doesn't seem to be able to look me in the eye now.

"And you were planning on telling me about this when?"

"Ummm…" is all he can manage.

"Great," I say.

I stand up, grab a cup of coffee and a bagel and then head for the back of the plane and fresher air. Back in the cargo area, I find my bag. I pull out a hair band and put my hair into its normal French braid. Then I find the mission folder and sit down with it. While I'm eating, I go over the report.

It seems the Wyrms appeared a few days ago. At first there were only three, but as time went on, more arrived. Anyone who approached them was frightened off by Wyrms bursting out of the ground just in front of the person. There's also a description of their movements. They can move in and out of the ground like a dolphin moves through water, leaving no trace that they've just passed. The most disturbing part of the report is that bullets don't seem to affect them. The thought of someone intentionally hurting one of these creatures upsets me. I take the photo out and look at it again.

There's nothing to give a sense of scale to these creatures, but I know that they can reach lengths in excess of thirty feet. They have several pairs of short stubby legs along the lengths of their bodies. The older the Wyrm, the more legs it has. The head consists of a long snout and a large mouth. The nostrils and eyes are very small. There's a fringe around the back of the head. I know that the ears are located behind the fringe, and that the males have larger ones than the females.

"We'll be landing shortly. Find anything of interest?" asks Manning. I hadn't really notice him come in. It's hard to hear anything above the drone of the engines. Though he does slightly startle me, I refuse to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"I'm curious about the first three Wyrms," I say looking up at him. "I wonder why they came to Death Valley. And why are all these other Wyrms joining them?"

"I guess you'll just have to ask them when we get there," he says.

"I intend to," I tell him.

"I was joking."

"I wasn't."

John comes in followed by Hellboy and Liz. Hellboy has his arm around Liz's waist, she seems a bit shaky and pale and she's leaning on him. Abe comes in last. I catch a whiff of mint coming from him, which reminds me of something I need to do. Before any one can sit down, I get up and head for the lavatory with my bag. Once there, I wash my face and brush my teeth.

When I return, Abe is sitting at the end of the bench by himself. I go and sit next to him. He's still not looking at me.

"Thank you for brushing your teeth," I say quietly.

"You're welcome," he replies just as quietly, still staring at the large boxes across from us.

"One favor?" I ask him.

"What?"

"No rotten eggs at the wedding. My grandmother would flip out."

"Agreed," he says. He looks at me and smiles. I smile back. He puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me toward him. Sighing, I gladly lean against him.

"Ok, listen up people," says Manning. "We're going to be landing shortly. We're going to have to drive out to the site. The sun's going to be up shortly, so Abe and Hellboy will have to travel the usual way."

"What's the usual way?" I ask.

Manning walks over to one of the large boxes across from me and slaps it. That's when I notice the stickers on the side that say "Live Cargo." I also notice the large holes drilled near the top.

"You pack them in crates!?" I ask, outraged.

"Well, we can't let them be seen," Manning answers.

"I've seen rabid animals treated better," I respond angrily.

"Sorry, but that's the way it has to be," Manning says as he turns and walks away.

I sit there and quietly seethe. Suddenly, the plane hits a pocket of turbulence. Abe holds me closer and then kisses me on the head.

"It's all right," he whispers in my ear. "We're used to it."

"Well, you shouldn't be," I say turning and facing him. "It's not fair."

"Life seldom is, my love," he says.

Then he tenderly kisses me, driving my anger away. As my anger fades, so does the turbulence until we are flying through clear skies again. We're still kissing when the plane lands a short time later. I could definitely get used to that.

I watch with sadness as Hellboy and Abe are placed in their crates. Liz stands next to me watching.

"I've seen them do this more times than I care to think about," she says. "I still can't get used to it."

"That's not much of a comfort," I tell her.

"I know," she replies.

We continue to watch as the crates are placed on a flat bed truck and strapped down. Manning and the other agents climb into SUVs and trucks while Liz and I climb into the cab of the flat bed truck next to John. Finally, we're ready to move out.

We sit in near silence for the next hour and half. Before we enter Death Valley, we have to cross security checks. Since the Wyrms are growing in numbers, the entire valley has been quarantined. As we cross the valley floor, I can "feel" the Wyrms off in the distance.

Soon, though, we're able to see them. The trucks leave the road and head toward the moving mass of Wyrms. We stop about 300 feet from the creatures. We sit and watch them in amazement.

"There's more here than were in the picture," says John. I "reach" out and "feel" them.

"There are sixty-three of them now," I tell him. He whistles his surprise.

To read about their movements is one thing, to see it in action is another. They're all brown, so it's hard to tell where one begins and another one ends. They move in and out of the soil as if it wasn't even there. Every once and a while, one will rear up into the air, open its fringe and then dive back into the ground. It's breath taking.

John and Liz exit the truck. Reluctantly, I pull my eyes away from the Wyrms and follow them. I hardly notice the organized chaos that's going on around me as agents secure the area before letting Hellboy and Abe out. I'm too fascinated by the magnificent creatures before me. I start walking toward them.

I don't move to quickly since I don't want to startle them. They're vegetarians, so I know that they won't eat me. But that doesn't mean they won't defend themselves if they feel threatened.

When I'm within a hundred feet of them, I send out a small tendril of energy to let them know I'm here. The reaction is instantaneous. More than sixty heads turn toward me, fringes out. Then the one with the largest fringe suddenly dives into the ground and disappears. I can "feel" him heading toward me, so I stop and wait.

A second later, the Wyrm bursts out of the ground in front of me. He shoots at least thirty feet straight up into the air before arching over and diving back down directly behind me. I figure he must be nearly forty feet long. He does his intimidation routine several more times. I stand my ground and wait. Finally, only his head surfaces and he turns to face me with his fringe out. He stares at me with those small dark eyes. They look like polished obsidian. As I get a closer look at him, I realize that he isn't just brown, but several different shades of brown. His mottled hide shimmers in the morning sun. He's almost as beautiful as Abe.

_Who are you?_ He asks with soundless words.

"I'm Margaret Susan Cavendish," I answer. "I am keeper of the Wind and Earth."

_Why are you here?_

"Because you are," I tell him. "What is wrong?"

_Our problems are our own and do not concern you, mortal._

"I want to help," I say. "Please tell me what's wrong."

_Nothing you can help with, little one._

"The others with me want you to leave, and they will force you if you don't go," I reply. "If you tell me what's wrong, we might be able to fix it."

_FIX IT!?_ He screams indignantly. _YOU'RE KIND CAUSED IT!_


	3. Pain

"Please tell me what happened," I say. Somehow I'm not too surprised that this mess was caused by humans.

The Wyrm dives down into the ground. I can "feel" him circling around beneath me. I wait and finally he returns.

_Your kind came. They killed our home with metal and fire. _He dives down again and circles some more.

Slash and burn. That's what he's probably talking about. He resurfaces a few moments later. This time the fringe around his head is lying flat against his neck.

_We mate once every one hundred years. Our young are few and far in between._

He disappears again. He doesn't resurface for several minutes. When he does, he's so close to me I could reach out and touch him.

_Our youngest was playing near the surface. His parents were feeding near by. He wandered off. He emerged in the middle of the fire._

He dives down again. I have a sinking feeling I know what's coming next. He comes up right next to me.

_His parents brought him to the coldest place they could reach to cool the burn. But it doesn't help. He's dying._

Suddenly, he shoots straight up, knocking me down. He towers over me, fringe out and glaring at me.

_And now more of us are injured. Again, because of your kind._

Once more, he disappears into the earth, but this time he returns to the tangle. So bullets do have an effect on them. It's just not instantaneous. Great. So somewhere in the middle of that tangle of Wyrms is a dying baby Wyrm and several injured Wyrms.

I hear yelling and running feet. I look and see several agents running toward me with Hellboy and Abe leading the way. I stand up and dust myself off. By the time I'm done, Abe is there, grabbing me and holding me tightly.

"Not that I don't like you holding me, Abe," I say with only half a mouth since my face is squished into his chest. "But I do enjoy breathing."

He lets go of me and holds me at arms length. His fingers cut into my upper arm despite the heavy jacket I'm wearing. I guess it's a good thing that the more fish aspects of his being give him only limited facial movements. Otherwise, I have a feeling he would be scowling at me.

"What the hell do you think you were doing!?" yells Hellboy. I'm actually kind of glad that he's the one yelling and not Abe. I don't think I could take it if Abe yelled at me.

"Getting information," I tell him calmly. I turn back to Abe. "Abe, please, you're hurting me."

He lets go and wraps me in his arms once more. This time he's gentler. I bring my arms up and around him as the blood starts to return to my fingers. I lean my head against his chest and listen to his heart beat. It's beating very rapidly. I continue to listen with my eyes shut as it returns to a normal speed.

"So what did you learn?" asks Manning.

Opening my eyes, I look at Manning who's now standing right next to us. I sigh and pull away from Abe. Abe doesn't completely let go of me, which I don't really mind at this moment. I proceed to tell everyone about what the Wyrm told me.

"So, if the parents brought the baby up here, why did the rest of these things show up?" Manning asks.

"I don't know," I answer. "I've heard of entire pods of whales beaching themselves when one of them is dying. It could be something like that."

"So, now what do we do?" Manning inquires.

"Now, I see if there's something I can do to help," I reply. I feel Abe's grip tightening on me.

"What would happen if we left them alone?" asks Liz.

"I'm not sure, but there's no food up here for them," I answer. "Sooner or later, they're all going to die, if they stay up here."

"What would happen if we did just let them all die?" asks John.

"Besides the mess of some sixty plus creatures lying dead in the sun, the rain forest that they live under would die" I reply.

"That would be bad," says Manning.

"You think?" I retort. I turn and look at the tangle of Wyrms. Some are moving around again, but several are watching us, including the large male I was talking to earlier. "Dr. Manning, I want you to take your men back to the trucks and wait for us. Hellboy, Abe, Liz and I will stay here and see if we can help."

"I'm in charge here," he says, getting huffy.

"People with guns injured several of these creatures," I say turning back to him. "I don't think it would be wise to keep your men too close in case they decide to take revenge on the nearest human with a gun."

"I don't like this," he responds.

"I know, but humans caused this problem, and it's up to us to fix it," I tell him.

He finally concedes and starts to order his men back to the trucks.

"Wait!" I say suddenly. "Hellboy, give John the Samaritan."

"What? No way," he yells at me.

"It's not going to do you any good here," I tell him. "And it's more likely to cause problems."

Hellboy glares at me for a good minute before he finally unstraps his gun belt, and hands it and the Samaritan to John.

After Manning and his men are gone, I turn back to the tangle. Abe still hasn't let go of me, but that's ok for now. I send another tendril of energy through the ground in hopes of attracting one of them back to me. This time a female responds. Like the one before her, she leaps out of the ground in front of us and dives back down behind us. She's probably close to thirty feet long. Hellboy starts getting a bit jumpy.

"Hold still," I tell him. "She's just trying to see if she can spook us."

"How do you know it's a she?" asks Liz as the Wyrm makes another pass.

"The fringe around the back of the head is larger on males," I answer.

A good ten minutes later, the Wyrm is satisfied that we're not going to take off running, and only partially emerges from the ground a couple of yards away from us. Like the male, her fringe is up. Her hide is also a mottled brown, but it's a bit darker and it seems to have a reddish tint to it.

_What do you want?_ She asks.

"We want to help," I answer.

_There is nothing you can do._

"How do you know if you won't let us try?" I ask her. She pulls herself further out of the ground and comes so close that I could easily reach out and touch her. I feel Abe's grip tighten even more. She stares into my eyes. I can feel my eyes drying out as I try not to blink.

_What do you suggest?_

"Bring us one of the ones that were injured after they arrived here," I tell her. "Let us see if we can help that one."

She looks at me for a moment more and then shoots up into the air, arching over backwards. She disappears back into the ground and I can "feel" her returning to the tangle.

"What was that all about?" ask Hellboy gruffly. I turn and look at him.

"Didn't you hear what she was saying?" I ask in return. He just shakes his head. I turn and look at Liz and she shakes her head as well. Finally, I turn to Abe. Surprisingly, he also shakes his head.

"Oh," is all that I can think to say. "Did you at least hear what I was saying?"

They all nod.

"Well, if this works out," I tell them, "she's going to bring one of the injured Wyrms to us. Hopefully, we'll be able to help it."

A couple of minutes later, I "feel" two Wyrms headed our way.

"Here they come," I warn.

The others tense up, but a moment later, the Wyrms emerge a few feet in front of us without the same display as before. I guess they've finally figured out that we're not going to run. It's the same female again, but this time she's accompanied by a smaller male.

_This one is willing to let you try, _she says.

"May we approach you?" I ask him.

_Yes, _he says. I can hear the pain in his "voice."

I start to walk forward only to be pulled back by Abe.

"Abe, we can't help him from way over here," I say as I turn to him. "He's given us permission to approach him."

Abe loosens his grip and I turn back toward the Wyrms. I start walking toward them again, this time with the others following. This male may be the smallest one I've seen yet, but he's still at least twenty-five feet long.

"Where are you hurt?" I ask the male.

He rolls onto his side and exposes his belly to us. I can see two small holes oozing some sort of clear liquid. Abe takes one of his gloves off and starts to reach for the Wyrm. I grab his wrist before he can make contact.

"May we touch you?" I ask the Wyrm.

_Yes._

I let go of Abe's wrist and nod. Abe touches him.

"The bullets aren't deep," he says. "But the wounds can't heal with them in there."

I put my hand over one of the holes and "pull" the bullet toward me. A moment later, I'm holding it in my hand. I do the same with the other hole. The entire time the Wyrm remains completely still. Unfortunately, there's now more liquid coming out of the holes. Abe's hand is still on the Wyrm.

"I think it would be best if we cauterized the wound somehow," he says quietly. I turn to Liz.

"Liz, do you think you could do that?" I ask her.

"I can try," she answers.

She puts her finger up to the hole and sends a tendril of flame into the wound. The Wyrm instantly reacts to the fire. He moves out of reach and lets out a shriek that sends me to my knees. Since I'm the only one can hear it, I seem to be the only one affected by it. The female is suddenly is between us and the male.

_What did you do to him?_ She demands.

Shaking the ringing out of my head, I stand up and face her.

"We need to cauterize the wound, or it won't stop bleeding," I tell her. I can tell I'm going to have a throbbing headache by the end of the day.

_You hurt him!_

"I know, and I'm sorry," I respond. "But it's necessary."

A moment later, the male returns pushing the female out of the way.

_Please make the other one stop bleeding,_ he says in a pleading tone.

I can see the spot that Liz sealed. It looks a lot better, but the other hole is still oozing. I approach him.

"Are you sure about this?" I ask him.

_No,_ he says. _But the wound that wasn't burned, hurts more than the one that was._

"Liz, he wants you to cauterize the other wound," I say without taking my eyes off of the Wyrm.

Liz approaches him. While the rest of him pretty much remains still, the spot that's hurt is jumping around, making it impossible for Liz to get a clear shot. He's anticipating the fire. I have to get his mind off of it, but I don't know how. I look around for something and my eyes finally land on Hellboy.

"Hellboy, I can I ask a very big favor of you?" I ask.

"What?" he responds.

"Would you mind letting the Wyrm bite your right hand while Liz cauterizes the wound?"

"What!?" he yells. "Are you out of your mind, woman?"

"He needs something to distract him," I tell him. "Maybe getting him to bite something will allow him to hold still long enough to let Liz to do her job."

He stares at me with those baleful yellow eyes of his. Finally, he sighs and walks toward the head of the Wyrm. I follow him.

"Bite his hand," I tell the Wyrm. The Wyrm looks at me.

_I'll hurt him._

"Not likely," I respond. "Bite the stone hand. Nothing has ever been able to damage it before."

The Wyrm looks at me for a moment more and then opens his mouth. His teeth are huge. It actually looks like a very large version of a horse's mouth. The Wyrm gently bites down on Hellboy's right hand, carefully placing it where the canine teeth would be if it had any. Once he has a firm grip on Hellboy, I turn to Liz and nod. Liz cauterizes the wound and the Wyrm bites down hard onto Hellbox's hand. When it's over, there's no shriek from the Wyrm and Hellboy's hand is undamaged.

"Abe, are there any more bullets?" I ask.

Abe places his hand back on the side of the Wyrm and then shakes his head after a few seconds. The Wyrm turns and looks us.

_Thank you._

"You're welcome," I tell him. A moment later, he's headed back to the tangle.

"Well, that went rather well," says Abe.

"Says you," growls Hellboy. "You didn't have to play chew toy to a giant worm."

"Uh oh," I say.

"Uh oh?" asks Hellboy. "What do you mean by 'Uh oh'?"

"I mean that one wasn't the only one hurt," I answer. "And it seems the rest are headed this way."

Sure enough, several Wyrms emerge right in front of us, each one trying to jockey for a position close to us. The unwounded female appears behind us.

_You have healed that one. Are you willing to heal the rest?_ She asks.

"She wants to know if we're willing to heal the rest of the Wyrms," I tell the others.

Abe and Liz are more than willing, but Hellboy is a bit more reluctant. I can understand why, but we're finally able to talk him into it. I tell the female yes, and then turn back to the mass of moving bodies in front of us.

The unwounded female appears between us and them. She starts bullying them back. She finally allows one to pass. This one emerges in front of us and exposes her wounds to us. We go to work.

Several hours later, the last Wyrm returns to the tangle healed. We've treated more than a dozen Wyrms and removed over thirty bullets. We return to the trucks exhausted and hungry.


	4. Baby

After some food and rest, I'm feeling better. My head still aches, but it is manageable now. Manning is still being a pain.

"Why haven't they gone away?" he asks, staring at the tangle of Wyrms. "You healed them all."

"We healed the ones with bullet wounds," I answer. " The main reason they came here hasn't been dealt with yet. There's still the baby that was burned."

I sit on the bumper of one of the trucks watching them, wondering how to proceed. I look up into the sky and see vultures circling over the tangle. They smell death approaching. Every once and a while, one of the Wyrms will leap into the air snapping at the birds. But the birds just fly a little higher and continue to circle.

I finally make up my mind. I stand and start walking across the desert toward the tangle again. Even though it's the middle of the day, it's pretty darn cold. I stick my gloved hands into the pockets of my jacket and keep walking. Shortly after I leave the others, I hear footsteps behind me. I try and "feel" who it is, but I come up with nothing. That means it can only be one person. I take one of my hands out of my pocket and hold it out behind me. A moment later, Abe takes it as he easily catches up to me. We walk together in silence.

We finally reach the place that we were earlier and stop. I send out the tendril of energy again. This time the male that was first healed answers my call.

_What do you want?_ He asks, not unkindly.

"We'd like to see only one not healed," I tell him.

_You cannot._

"Why?" I ask.

_His parents will not allow it. Even we cannot get close to him._

"I would like to speak to his parents. May I do so?"

_I do not know. I will check._

He turns and heads back to the tangle. Abe pulls on my hand to get my attention.

"Yes, love?"

"I don't like this. What good will talking to the parents do if they won't let their own kind near their baby?"

"I'm hoping to at least see if the baby can be saved," I tell him.

"But you don't think he can," he finishes for me. I just shake my head.

"I hope I'm wrong," I say. "How did you know that the parents are barring the others from seeing the baby? I thought you couldn't hear them."

"I can't," he simply says. He holds up our joined hands. "However, I can hear them through you."

The Wyrm returns.

_Since you healed so many of our kind, they are willing to let you see them._

"Thank you," I reply.

_Please, follow me._

He turns and dives underground, only to reappear about ten feet away. We follow him toward the tangle. Abe takes a tighter grip of my hand.

"Abe, please loosen your grip," I beg. "You're cutting off the blood to my fingers."

His hand loosens a little, but not by much.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

"I don't like this," he says.

"I know," I respond. "But it has to be done."

He doesn't respond, but continues to walk beside me with a near death grip on my hand. As we approach the tangle, Wyrms start to move out of our way. After we pass, they close up the area behind us. We're completely surrounded by giant moving bodies. As we walk, I can smell a foul odor that gets stronger as we continue on. Several minutes pass like this until we finally reach the center of the tangle.

Two adult Wyrms are lying on the ground with a much smaller Wyrm between them. The smell of burnt and rotting flesh is strong here. At first I think they're already dead until I notice the parents raise their heads and extend their fringes. I also notice the smaller one move slightly and I can hear him whimpering in my mind. His brown hide is covered in burnt skin, blisters and festering wounds. The sight of him makes me want to cry and the smell of him makes me want to gag.

_Can you heal him? _The father asks.

"I don't know," I answer.

_You healed the others,_ says the mother.

"Their wounds were not as extensive," I explain. "May we please be allowed to see him?"

_Only if you promise to heal him, _the father demands.

"I cannot promise you that," I respond.

_Promise you will help him,_ orders the father.

"I will do what I can for him," I tell him.

_Promise us! _They demand in unison.

I stare at the two of them. The mere thought of making a promise that I can't keep scares the living daylights out of me. But if it's the only way to get to the baby, then I must make it.

"No," says Abe. He yanks me around until I'm facing him. I had forgotten that he was even here.

"I have to, Abe," I tell him sadly. "It's the only way for us to get near the baby."

Without waiting for a response, I turn toward the waiting parents and say, "I will do everything within my power to ease his suffering. This I promise you."

There's a slight tremor and a dirt devil kicks up with me in the center. When everything calms down again, I can "feel" a bond between the parents and myself.

The parents part and let us pass. Abe walks past me, his hands are balled into fists and I can see he's shaking. He's angry about what I've done, but there was no way around it. I watch Abe walk around the baby Wyrm. He finally finds a spot that's not so badly damaged. He kneels down, removes his gloves and places his hands on the youngster. A moment later, he removes his hands. I can see defeat in his body language. Then he looks at me and shakes his head.

"The damage is too great," he says sadly. He looks back down at the baby. "He is going to die."

_YOU PROMISED US! _The parents yell in unison.

"I promised to ease his suffering," I reminded them. "I never promised to heal him."

_How can you ease his suffering if you can't heal him? _The father demands.

"By ending his suffering," I tell him.

Abe's head snaps up and the adult Wyrms, including the parents, start to wildly dive in and out of the ground. I move closer to the baby. He may be only a baby but he's still ten feet long. Abe quickly gets up and comes to me. Wyrms continue to move around us.

"I won't let you do this," he says.

"You have no choice," I tell him. "I made the promise and I must fulfill it."

"Then break it," he orders. The thought of breaking a promise is more frightening then not being able to fulfill it.

"I can't," I reply. "You should probably leave, Abe."

"I'm not leaving you, and you're not doing this," he snarls. He reminds me more of Hellboy right now.

"I have no choice," I repeat. "It must be done, and it must be done by me."

"I forbid it," he orders.

"What gives you the right to order me to do or not to do anything?" I ask him angrily.

He grabs my left hand and pulls off the glove. He forces the back of my hand to mere inches from my face.

"This does," he says.

The parents emerge on either side of their child. I can feel the bond between us pulling me toward them. I turn to go to them, but Abe grabs my arms again in a bruising grip. I break his grip on me. Then I grab his right wrist and force his hand palm side up. I then put my most valued possession in it and then close his fingers over it.

"You should leave now," I tell him as I let him go. The male that led us here appears next to me. I turn to him.

"Can you see that he gets safely back to the others?" I ask the Wyrm.

_Of course,_ he answers. He suddenly lunges and grabs Abe around the middle in his mouth. Abe starts struggling and yelling. As the Wyrm carefully moves through the tangle, I can hear Abe calling my name and I can feel my heart breaking. Even if I do survive this, I doubt he'll ever forgive me for what I've done. I turn and approach the parents.

"You have a choice," I tell them. "You can release me from my promise and let him die a slow painful death. Or you hold me to my promise, and I end his suffering now."

The parents look at each other and then look at their child. I can feel the emotional pain they're suffering through our bond. I feel a tear travel down my cheek.

_He is our first,_ the father quietly says.

For the first time, I see the youngster open his eyes. They're clouded over with pain.

_Mama,_ he says in a small pained voice. _Make the pain go away._

_Hush, little one,_ she croons softly to him. _It will be over soon._

_Please make it quick, _the father begs. All I can do is nod as more tears follow the first.

I take several deep breaths to regain my control, and then I open myself to the power of Wind and Earth. I bring in the power to me until every nerve in my body is tingling. It fills me with a sense of euphoria that I've never felt before. I idly wonder if an orgasm would feel this good. I pull in more power than I've ever done before. Just before I lose control of it, I focus it and send it into the heart of the baby Wyrm. The baby gives one last whimper and then he sighs his last breath. As I sink into oblivion, I can hear the cries of heart breaking anguish emitted by the parents and echoed by the rest of the tangle.


	5. Pain and Anger

**Author's Note**: It seems Maggie is out cold again, so it's time for Abe to take over once more.

The Wyrm gently drops me at Hellboy's feet and then dives back into the ground. I'm a little bruised and covered in Wyrm spit, but other than that, I'm ok. I stand up and turn back toward the tangle. I sense Maggie pulling a vast amount of energy toward her. If she's not careful, she'll completely burn herself out. She may even kill herself. I start running toward the tangle even though I know that there's no way I'll get there in time. Hellboy is right behind me.

"What's going on?" Hellboy asks as he pulls up next to me.

"Maggie is going to kill the baby Wyrm," I answer.

"Why?"

"She made a stupid promise to the parents to ease the baby's suffering," I reply. "He can't be saved so she's going to kill him instead."

"And the parents are ok with this?"

"I don't know."

About half way back to the tangle it hits. All of the Wyrms go off at the same time. They make a keening noise that can't be heard with the ears. And though I can't normal hear them, I hear this. I drop to my knees with my fists pressed into my temples. The earthquake of sixty plus Earth Wyrms diving into the ground at once knocks me the rest of the way down.

When my head stops ringing and I can focus my eyes again, I look up to see Hellboy walking toward me. He's carrying Maggie's limp form in his arms. I look behind him and notice that the tangle is gone. It's like nothing was ever there. Even the vultures have moved on.

"She's alive," he tells me as he walks up.

I finally manage to stand up and I reach for her. Then I realize that I'm reaching for her with my right fist. I pull it back and open it. Her engagement ring lies in the palm of my hand, sparkling in the winter sun.

I close my hand back over it and I turn back toward the way we came. Before I can take a step, the trucks pull up to us and stop. Several agents jump out of the trucks, and take Maggie from Hellboy. I walk toward the flat bed truck and climb up into my crate. I sit with my knees to my chest on the bottom of the crate, not even bothering with the little seat that's built into it.

The electrical jolt they gave me to revive me didn't hurt this much. All the tests they preformed on me didn't hurt this much. Even my chest being torn open by a hell hound didn't hurt this much. Nothing can come close to the pain I'm feeling of Maggie breaking up with me.

I'm mad at her for making that stupid promise. I'm mad at myself for trying to order her around. But I'm mostly mad that she gave me back the ring. God, I wish I had tear ducts.

Eventually, the agents come and close my crate. I rest my head on my knees. I now have an inkling of what Hellboy must have gone through every time Liz left the bureau.

Soon the trucks are moving, and I start getting motion sickness. I forgot to take my Dramamine. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if I could see the outside, but the holes in this thing are drilled in such a way as to keep curious eyes from seeing what's inside. It also keeps what's inside from seeing out. So I sit here and try not to lose my lunch.

Some indeterminate time later, the trucks stop. I can feel the agents move my crate into the plane. Then I hear the ramp close and then my crate is opened. Hellboy emerges from his stretching and grumbling about having kinks in his tail.

I sit on the bench across from the crates and wait for take off. Finally, we're in the air and at cruising altitude. I head for my tank. It's smaller than the medical tank back at headquarters, but it keeps me wet. I manage to strip and get in without ever opening my right hand all the way. I can't let go of the ring. I feel it digging into my flesh, but that makes me want to hold it all that much tighter.

I curl up in a fetal position and try to get some sleep. I'm roused by someone banging on the glass of the tank. It's Hellboy. It figures. Everyone else knows not to hit the glass. Now my head is throbbing again. I turn around and look at him.

"Ok, talk," he orders.

"About what?" I ask grumpily.

"Come on, Blue, I saw the ring," he answers.

"I don't want to talk about it," I reply as I turn back around.

"Do you have any idea how many times Liz returned her ring to me before we finally got married?" he demands.

"And did I make you talk about it any of those times?" I retort looking back over my shoulder.

"Um, no," he answers.

"Exactly," I say as I untwist my neck.

He sits there for a couple of minutes and then finally walks away. Within a short time, I'm asleep. I'm awakened by someone calling my name.

"Abe? Abe?"

"Yes, John, what is it?" I ask without turning around.

"We're going to be landing soon," he tells me.

"Thank you," I reply.

I hear him move off as I uncurl myself and stretch. I leave my tank and get dressed with the ring still firmly clasped in my hand. I go and wait for landing in the cargo area with others. Liz approaches me.

"Abe, what happened?" she asks.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I tell her and walk away.

I sit at the end of the bench with my back to everyone. I hear Manning come in. I can hear his thoughts. He's worried that I'll go into a depression like before where I wasn't eating or talking to any one. But I'm not depressed, I'm angry.

"Don't worry, Manning," I say without turning around. "I'll do my job."

"Good," he replies as he takes his seat.

A short time later, we're on the ground. The back of the plane opens and several agents get out, securing the area. They're taking longer than usual. While Red and I wait for the all clear, Myers and another agent jostle past us carrying a stretcher with Maggie on it. She's still unconscious and her face is very pale. For a moment, I want to reach out and touch her. But my anger won't let me. I watch as they go down and take her out of sight. I wonder where they're taking her, so I touch Myers' mind. There's an ambulance waiting near by to take her to the hospital. She's not coming back with us. That's why it's taking so long.

Sometime later, we're finally given the all clear to leave. Red and I get into the back of the garbage truck, and head back home. Thankfully, Red has the sense to not to try and talk to me. Instead he sits there smoking a cigar, staring at me. I briefly wish Maggie was there to put the thing out, but I quickly banish that thought.

Within an hour, we're back at headquarters. I head for the library and pick four books at random from the shelves and place them on the stands in front of my tank. Then I head upstairs, strip and get into the water.

I start trying to read, but I can't seem to concentrate. I realize that I've read the same line about five times before I give up. I decide to use some of my pent up energy and I start to swim. There's really no where to go, so I swim in circles. As a challenge to myself, I try and see if I can get a whirlpool going. I swim in a circle as fast as I can. When I tire, I stop and let the current I've created carry me along for a while. Finally, I sink to the bottom of my tank and sink into the comfortable oblivion of sleep.

I'm woken up by Guillermo coming into the library and starting to talk to me. He must have just gotten back from his trip.

"Let's see what you're reading, shall we?" he says to my blank window. I'm still hanging around the bottom of the tank. "Douglas Adams' 'The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul.' Not a bad choice. 'Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.' A bit of a dull read, but it'll definitely improve your vocabulary. Steven King's 'Desperation.' I see you decided to make this one a bit of a challenge. Not everyone can read an entire book from back to front and upside down to boot. And finally, Leo Tolstoy's 'War and Peace.' In Chinese."

I stretch and contemplate what to do next. I could just sit here on the bottom of my tank and wait him out. But I know him too well at this point. He's more stubborn than a mule. He can out wait me, damn him. So I swim up to the window slowly.

He's now sitting on his favorite chair facing my window. He has his bum leg resting on an ottoman and his cane is resting against the chair next to him. He's just sitting there watching me.

"I just came from the hospital, in case you're wondering," he says.

"I'm not," I tell him.

"Liar," he responds. "I don't have to be a Water Mage to know you're lying. That girl has been the best thing that's ever come into your life, so don't swim there and tell me her condition doesn't matter to you."

"It might have once," I reply in anger. "But this changed everything."

I open my right hand and push the ring against the glass. The diamond scratches it slightly.

"Ah, the ring," he says knowingly. "You want to tell me about it now, or am I going to have to drag it out of you piece by piece? Because, you know, sooner or later, I will know the whole story."

I know he's right. I swim to the top of my tank and get out. I head downstairs without even bothering to dry off. I step into the library. Guillermo hasn't moved, so I walk up to him and place my hand on his and show him everything that happened.

Maggie telling Manning she's going. Her explaining what Wyrms are. Seeing her in the middle of the desert with one of them, seeing it knock her down and hovering over her like it's about to strike. Running out to her, scared beyond words that she might have been hurt. Her ordering Manning and the other agents to leave, and her telling Hellboy to give up the Samaritan. The four of us healing Wyrms that had bullet wounds. Her walking toward the tangle alone. Me following. Finally getting to the parent Wyrms. Her making the promise and my diagnosis. Our fight. Her asking the Wyrm to take me back. My attempt to get back to her on time. The keening, the earthquake and the disappearance of the Wyrms.

I remove my hand from his, turn and head back upstairs. Shortly after I've returned to my tank, he starts to talk to me again.

"You know, for such a smart guy, you're being a real idiot," he says. "Do you know what happens to a Mage if they don't fulfill a promise?"

"No," I answer.

"They spend the rest of their lives trying to complete it," he tells me. "Even if it's impossible to do so. Do you know what happens to a Mage who breaks a promise?"

"No," I barely whisper.

"They lose their powers," he says.

"Better that than being dead," I respond angrily.

"You think so?" he asks just as angrily. He grabs his cane, stands and comes over to the glass. He places his hand on the glass. I place my hand next to his with only the glass between us. The images I see all but knock me across my tank.

A man in a vegetative state, the doctors baffled about the cause. There was no physical trauma of any kind to him. He was just found like that. He never recovered, and died a short time later.

"Tell me, Abe," he says as he drops his hand. "Is that what you would wish for Maggie?"

"No," I manage to choke out. Fear is replacing the anger. "Who was he?"

"My brother," he quietly answers.

"I'm sorry," is all I can manage to say. After several moments, I finally ask, "How is she?"

"She's exhausted, dehydrated and malnourished," he answers as he returns to his seat. "A few days rest with lots of fluids should set her right. Physically at least. But after your little stunt of you essentially telling her you own her, her emotionally state will be something else."

Relief washes over me, and is quickly replaced by depression.

"How do I make it up to her?" I ask him.

"Groveling is a good start," he answers. "A little romance thrown in for good measure wouldn't hurt either. You're going to have to convince her that you truly are sorry for what you did and that you'll never do it again. Not an easy thing to manage with any woman. It's even harder to do with a Mage. Normally, she'd be able to tell if you were lying, but since you're water based, she won't be able to tell. Unfortunately, that's going to work against you. What will work in your favor is that you two love each other. Once a Mage falls in love, they can never give their heart to another."

"How do I romance her?" I ask. "I can't exactly take her to dinner and a show."

"Use your imagination," he tells me with a shrug. "But chances are, she not going to want to come here willingly. She's probably still pretty hurt over your argument. You're going to have to figure out a way to get her here."

"Great," I grumble. "Not only am I going to have to beg for forgiveness, I'm going to have to trick her here to do it. I'm sure that will go over big."

"Don't forget about romancing her and asking for her hand in marriage again," he says.

"Ask her to marry me again?" I ask with indignation. "But I've already done that."

"Yes, you did," he replies. "But you blew it and she called it off. If you try just handing her the ring, you might find it stuffed someplace most unpleasant."

"Lovely," I say. "So, I've got to get her here, do something romantic, beg for forgiveness and ask her to marry me again."

"That's pretty much it in a nut shell," Guillermo responds. "I think getting her here will be the hardest. If she's still mad, she's going to try and avoid the bureau, and the library most of all, at all costs."

I take a couple of laps around my tank, thinking. I suddenly remember something.

"We never got to dessert," I quietly muse.

"Excuse me?" asks Guillermo, confused.

"What if we didn't have it in the library?" I ask. "In fact, what if we didn't have it at the bureau at all?"

"What did you have in mind?" he asks.

I outline my plan. A smile starts spreading across his face. It gets larger as I go on. By the time I'm done, he has a huge grin on his face.

"That just might work," he says. "But you'll have to get it past Manning."

"I'll take care of Manning," I tell him. "Do you think you can handle the rest of the details?"

"If I get some help from Liz and John, I'm sure I can do it," he replies. He stands to go.

"Thank you, Guillermo," I say.

"For what?"

"For giving me a swift kick in the tail."

"Hey, what are friends for?"


	6. Kiss and Make Up

I wake up in a hospital bed. Why is it that almost every time I get any where the BPRD or its agents, I end up flat on my back, with an IV in me and wearing one of these awful hospital gowns? At least this time I'm just tired, not badly hurt. I do a double check to be sure. I look around and realize that I'm in a real hospital, not back at the bureau. Grandmother is sitting next to me, watching.

"Hi," is all I can manage. It feels like I've been chewing on a bail of cotton. I try to get the saliva going so I don't sound like I've swallowed a frog.

"Good afternoon, Margaret," she replies. "You know, child, if you wanted me to visit, all you had to do was ask."

"Sorry," I say with a weak smile. "How long have I been here?"

"Dr. Manning called me on the second to tell me where you were," she answers. "Today's the fourth."

"Did he tell you how I got here?" I ask.

"He did give me a brief description," she answers. "Where's your ring?"

My heart sinks to the vicinity of the sub-basement of the building. I can't look at her, so I turn toward the window.

"Margaret?"

"I gave it back to Abe," I tell her quietly.

"Was this because you didn't think you'd survive or because of something he did?"

"A little of both," I answer.

"Well, you obviously survived, so now you just have to forgive him," she says.

"But…" I start to object, looking back at her.

"'But' nothing, child," she admonishes. "If I've learned one thing in the seven and half decades on this planet, it's this. You always forgive the ones you love."

"I'm not sure he'll feel the same," I reply quietly.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, child," she answers with a knowing smile.

"What are you up to, Grandmother?" I demand as I struggle to sit up.

"Me?" she says with a fake look of innocence on her face. "I'm not up to anything at all."

Before I can start interrogating her, the doctor walks in. He pokes and prods and asks the usual questions. When I ask when I can go home, he signs the release papers right then and there. I do have to wait for the nurse to come in and get the IV out of me and then I take a quick shower and get dressed. When I come out, Grandmother is just hanging up her cell phone.

"Who was that?" I ask.

"Sharon," she says. "She's going to meet us for dinner."

She gives me another look.

"Is that all you have to wear?" she asks in a rather disdainful voice.

"I packed for going out into the desert, Grandmother, not a show opening," I answer.

"Very well," she sighs. "Are you about ready to go?"

I nod as the nurse arrives with a wheelchair. I get the obligatory ride down to the limo and then we're off to Manhattan. We arrive at the restaurant shortly after 5:00. We spend the next couple of hours talking and playing with Vicki. She's gotten so big in the past six and a half months. Sharon even demonstrates that Vicki can crawl now. It's amazing to watch, and it makes me want one of my own again.

But what if Abe is still mad at me? What if he doesn't want anything to do with me? What if he doesn't want me back? What if…?

"Maggie," says Sharon breaking into my reverie. "When do I get to meet Abe?"

"Ummm," is all I can manage. Luckily, the server arrives wanting to know if we want dessert. Before I can say anything, both Grandmother and Sharon say no.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with my family?" I jokingly ask.

They both just look at me and smile.

"We don't want to wear you out, child," says Grandmother.

"Dessert won't wear me out," I sulk.

"It's getting close to Vicki's bed time," Sharon says.

I sigh and give in. I am feeling a little tired anyways. We say our goodbyes and then Grandmother and I head back to New Jersey. A short time later, I'm at my front door.

"Would you like to come in, Grandmother?" I ask. "I think I have chocolate fudge ripple hiding in the back of the freezer."

"That's quite all right, child," she says. "You just go get some rest. I'll call you soon."

She gives me a quick peck on the cheek and gets back into the limo. A few moments later, the taillights disappear around the bend, and I'm standing alone in the cold. I sigh and head inside. I start heading for the staircase, when I notice a faint glow coming from the family room. I do a quick "check," but there's no one there. I put my bag down and quietly go into the family room.

When I walk in, I stop in dumbfounded surprise. I can hear Pachelbel's cannon in D playing quietly in the background. There are strands of small white lights strung around the room making it look like there are stars in my house. Next to the plate glass window is a table with two plates on it and a pair of lit candles. The moon is somewhere between full and half and is reflecting off of the lake. I notice that there is something on the plates, and I take a step closer. I can smell chocolate. I move even closer. I get about half way across the room.

"Do you like it?"

I stop short.

"Does Manning know you're here?"

"No, he doesn't."

"So how long before the warden starts looking for you?"

"He's in Washington, D.C. for some sort of special meeting with the president. He's not due back until the day after tomorrow."

"Good place for him."

"Do you like it?" he repeats.

I turn toward his voice. He's hiding in the shadows near the door. At first, I'm surprised that I didn't hear his respirator when I walked in. Then I realize he's not wearing it. In fact, all he's wearing are his shorts.

"It's beautiful," I answer.

I feel my heart starting to race. He walks toward me. The way the light plays off of his mottled skin takes my breath away. As he gets closer, I swallow hard. I want to touch him so bad it hurts. Then he does something totally unexpected. He drops to his knees and takes my hands into his own.

"Please forgive me."

"How did you manage all of this?" I ask looking around. "I'm pretty sure the doors were locked this time.

"Guillermo, Liz and John helped," he says. "Forgive me, please."

"Well, that explains how you got past the locked doors."

"Please, please forgive me," he says with a pained voice. I look at him for a moment more.

"Of course," I breathe.

He stands, takes me into his arms and kisses me. His tongue gently caresses my half opened lips. He probes into my mouth and I open wider. He has one hand behind my head, tangled in my hair and the other is working its way down past my waistband. My hands start working their way up his arms toward his neck.

"MEOW"

I all but bite him with surprise. We part and I look around him toward where the sound came from. Wizard is sitting in the doorway, staring at us with his baleful yellow eyes.

"MEOW"

I realize he's hungry about one second before I remember that I asked Helen to feed him.

"Oh, geez," I say in near panic. "Helen is going to be here soon to feed Wizard. You need to hide."

"No she's not," he says as he gently nuzzles my ear. I feel my eyes roll back, my lungs quickly draw in more air than normal and my knees go weak. "Your Grandmother called her to let her know that you'd be home tonight."

"MEOW"

"Then I guess I'd better feed him, or we're not going to get any peace," I say as I reluctantly pull away from him.

I quickly go to the kitchen and feed Wizard and then all but run back to the family room. I don't see him at first, and then I see movement near the window. I make record time crossing the room to him, but instead of taking me into his arms, he pulls out one of the chairs at the table. I look at him inquisitively but he just makes a graceful wave at the chair, inviting me to sit. I sit and watch as he gracefully takes the seat across from me. I finally look down at the plate and now I know where the smell of chocolate was coming from.

"If these are what I think they are," I tell him, as I stare at the four perfect pieces of chocolate delight on the plate in front of me, "you are so incredibly forgiven that you could get away with almost anything right now."

I hear him give a low chuckle as he picks up one of the truffles off of my plate. He holds it in front of me and slowly, ever so slowly, he brings it up to my mouth.

"Dark chocolate raspberry truffles," he says quietly just as the chocolate delight touches my lips.

Without taking my eyes off of him, I open my mouth and take a bite out of the truffle. I have to close my eyes with the pure delight as the silky smooth texture of chocolate heaven melts on my tongue. I finish the rest of the truffle with a couple more bites, savoring each bit. Before he can pull his hand back I grab his wrist and lick the chocolate off of his finger tips. I hear him shifting in his seat. I look at him with half lidded eyes.

"What's the matter?" I ask in a hushed voice.

"Foam neoprene _really_ doesn't stretch," he says in an almost pained voice.

Without letting go of his hand, I stand and come around to his side of the table. I bend over, and with my free hand, I unzip his shorts.

"Does that help?" I whisper.

"A bit," he whispers back.

"Good," I say as I straddle him and sit on his lap.

I let go of his hand and pick up one of the truffles off of his plate. He starts to caress my thighs.

"Your turn," I croon seductively.

I place the chocolate to his lips. He quickly finishes it in two bites.

"Did you even taste that?" I quietly laugh.

Instead of answering, he starts licking the chocolate off of my fingers. I gasp as my nerves start to tingle and I can feel my hips curve instinctively toward him. I can feel something very hard in front of me. I pull my fingers out of his mouth and start kissing him, tasting the chocolate still on his lips and licking it off of him. I trace his jaw line with my fingers toward his gills. He grabs my hips and pushes me forward so I have no doubt about what the hard thing is. My want for him is so strong I can barely breathe.

Suddenly, he grabs my hands and gently pushes me away. Before I can say anything, he puts a finger to my lips. I start kissing that finger, then licking it and eventually sucking on it. I can see his gills flare fully out from his neck. I try and reach for them, but he stops me. He forces my hands down.

"Behave," he says.

I just raise an eyebrow and give him a crooked smile. He reaches behind me and pulls something off of the table. I'm fully expecting another truffle, but instead it's a small velvet covered box. My breath catches in my throat. He opens it, revealing the ring I gave back to him.

"Will you please marry me?" he asks.

"Yes," I answer without hesitation

He carefully removes the ring from the box and then gently returns it to my finger. I'm shaking so hard I'm surprised he is able to do it so easily. When he's done he lets the box drop to the floor.

"Now, where were we?" he asks quietly as he pulls me closer.

Our lips meet and all rational thought stops. I carefully trace the fins on his back working my way up to his gills. His hands are up my shirt exploring and undoing my bra. He's touching me in ways that make it even harder to breath. I finally reach his gills and my shirt and bra disappear. Our bare chests touch and every nerve in my body starts to sing. Suddenly, one of his arms is under my backside and the other is behind my back as he stands up with me. I wrap my legs around him as he carries me over to the couch and gently lays me down on it with him on top of me. He presses his hips into me and I squeeze my legs and push my hips toward him in response. Then I reach down and start trying to loosen his shorts.

I can hear the phone ringing in the next room.

"Ignore it," he whispers in my ear as he starts to nibble on it.

"Not a problem," I barely manage to gasp out as the phone continues to ring.

One of his hands starts to explore down my bare front, brushing his fingers past spots that make me gasp, until it finds the button on my pants. He unbuttons and unzips my pants and then the hand starts to explore inside of them. I hear a moan and I realize that I made it. I arch my back, pressing myself into him. Every part of me is screaming for him to ease the tension, to finally have him. He starts pulling my pants down. I start trying to do the same with his shorts.

The answering machine picks up and a panicky voice starts talking. "Miss Cavendish, it's Helen. Some men were here claiming to be from the FBI. They had badges and guns. They were looking for you. I told them that you weren't here, but they didn't believe me. They're headed for the house. Please get out of there if you can hear me. I'm calling the police now" Click.

Abe pulls back as I whimper. I lie there panting trying to regain something that resembles composure. After a few deep breaths, I've regained enough control to "check." Sure enough, there's a half dozen people marching through the half melted snow up towards the house. They're being led by Manning.

"The warden's back," I tell him. "And he's probably looking for you."

"Damn," he mutters.

With a sigh, he gets up and goes to where he took his gear off and starts to get redressed. I get up and look for my own clothing. I finally find them hanging off of the poker next to the fireplace. Not a bad toss, considering it's half way across the room from the table. I get my clothes back on just as there's a loud knock at the front door. I go and answer it.

"Where is he?" demands Manning without preamble. I can see the other agents behind him. I don't know any of them.

"Here," says Abe from behind me. Manning tries to push the door open further, but it won't budge.

"Dr. Manning, what gives you the right to trespass onto my property and scare one of my employees half to death?" I demand myself. I'm frustrated and furious. Manning stops pushing at the door and stares at me for a minute. "Are you aware that police are now on their way? And where the police go, the media usually isn't too far behind?"

At that moment, the gate opens and a four door sedan with a handicap license plate pulls up the drive. Since I didn't open the gate myself, there's only one person that it could be. I "check." Sure enough, it's him. The car pulls up and Guillermo gets out.

"I guess I wasn't fast enough," he says, looking at the scene in front of him.

Manning turns around and I can tell that he's getting ready to lay into Guillermo. I open the door the rest of the way.

"All right," I order, "everybody in."

Manning turns and stares at me while Guillermo starts making his way up the stairs.

"Well," I say. "Are you coming in or not? I don't feel like heating the whole world."

Some time later, and after a couple of lengthy phone calls to the police and Helen explaining that the "FBI" men were cousins playing a very poor joke, Guillermo, Manning, Abe and I are seated in the family room while the other agents mostly just stand around. The regular lights have been turned on while the small white lights have been unplugged and the candles have been blown out. The curtains have been shut, too. I've also had time to calm down and regain my composure.

"Dr. Manning," I begin, "was there a reason for this intrusion?"

"I've come for Abe," he answers.

"Why?" I ask. "Is there another mission you need him to go on?

"Well, no," he starts.

"Then please explain to me why you felt it necessary to scare my ranch manager out of her wits," I demand.

"We can't get past the gate without the code or someone else opening it," he answers. "So we had to go through the ranch."

"But if Abe isn't needed for a mission, why bother coming to get him at all?" I ask.

"Because he's supposed to be at the bureau," he replies. "That's where he belongs."

"So he's not supposed to leave except for missions?" I inquire.

"Something like that, yes," he replies.

"I was unaware that Abe was a prisoner," I respond. "I was given the impression that he was an agent like any one of these men."

I wave my hand in the general direction of the agents standing around the room. Manning looks distinctly uncomfortable and Guillermo looks like he's having the time of his life.

"Well, there are special extenuating circumstances with Abe and Hellboy," he says.

"I can understand you trying to keep them from public view, Dr. Manning," I tell him. "What I don't understand is why you feel it necessary to keep them locked up. If they're agents, then don't they have the right to go into the outside world provided that precautions have been made?"

"You don't understand…" he starts.

"You're right, Dr. Manning, I don't understand," I interrupt. "I don't understand how you can treat two sentient beings like they're nothing more than trained animals."

"I do not treat them like trained animals," Manning replies hotly.

"Yes, you do," Abe interjects.

"What is he doing here?" Manning asks, ignoring Abe's comment and obviously trying to gain the upper hand by changing the subject.

"That is between Abe and me," I reply coldly.

"This is hardly a controlled situation, Miss Cavendish," Manning continues on his attack.

"We're hardly in the public view here, Dr. Manning," I counter.

"He still could have been seen," he attacks.

"By whom? A rogue raccoon?" I ask. "In case you haven't noticed, the closest neighbor I have is the ranch manager and her family. And only she comes up here to feed the cat when I'm gone.

"Then she could have seen him when she came to feed the cat tonight," he argues.

"Except that she had been informed of my return, and therefore knew that she didn't need to make the hike up here," I tell him.

We sit there for several minutes staring at each other. We're at an impasse and I'm not really in the mood to continue this conversation anyways. Guillermo's watch suddenly goes off. He quickly turns it off and looks at Abe.

"I guess it's time to come and get you," he says smiling. Standing up, he continues, "Shall we go then?"

He starts heading for the door. Abe stands and starts to follow him. I follow both of them to the front door. Manning comes trailing behind.

"This isn't over, Miss Cavendish," he says.

"You're right, Dr. Manning," I reply. "It isn't over by a long shot."

I kiss Abe good night and then watch him crawl into the back of Guillermo's sedan. He lies down on the seat and Guillermo covers him with a blanket. A few minutes later, cars from the bureau arrive and take Manning and the other agents away. And once again, I'm standing alone in the cold.

THE END

**Author's note:** A couple of things. 1) I did take a little artistic license with Maggie's hospital stay. Chances are they would have kept her for another day, but I figured people would rather read about her meeting with Abe than another 24 hours in the hospital. 2) There will be at least one if not two more stories involving Maggie and the gang.


End file.
